Instagram eyes to go national with maiden show in Kolkata as template

Kolkata: Photo and video sharing app Instagram, which launched its maiden photography exhibition in India here yesterday, is mulling 'going deeper' in the state and use this event as a template for going national, said an official.

Themed 'Bengal's Diversity in Pictures', the assemblage features photographs crowd-sourced from a group of 17 individuals from Kolkata spanning various age groups and professional backgrounds.

"We selected Kolkata based on two major factors: how engaged the community was and the diversity. The city has a multi-layered diversity and a lot of texture in terms of history and culture," Facebook's public policy director, India, South & Central Asia, Ankhi Das said at the inaugural here.

Running at the ICCR gallery, the three-day exhibition conveys multiple facets of life unique to the state of Bengal, including its rural-urban contrasts.

Instagram, owned by social media giant Facebook, worked with the local community - Instagram Calcutta (@ig_calcutta) - to curate images which reflected the theme.

Das said officials are thrashing out how to take the exhibition forward.